21 July 2017

News Story: Philippine president visits besieged Marawi City

MANILA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited the war-torn Marawi City on Thursday to check on the government security forces fighting to completely liberate the besieged city from militants allied with the Islamic State (IS) group.

Army Lt. Col Jo-Ar Herrera said Duterte dropped by the military camp in the city to show his strong support for the troops.

"The visit shows that the president is very firm in his strong support to the ongoing military operation in the city," Herrera said.

Fighting continues to rage in the city since May 23, which has so far killed 565 people.